Helen Theresa walking with her sheep. She often went for walks in the mountains above her father's home on the Beara Peninsula, dressed in her favourite purple gown with its soft velvet cape hood. A pretty girl with a wonderful nature. Many poems were of her making, as she let her mind wander freely in the hills. Oil on canvas 20x8 inches

Off the Beara coastline lies an uninhabited island that has enchanted me for many years. It is in fact three islands, the western end being divided by two channels. I have been through the channels in a boat, I have landed on the island a few times for picnics and more recently for a Mass ceremony

There used to be people living on the island up until the middle of the 20th century, and a pier on Kilcatherine served as a loading place for turf to be shipped out. There are ruins on the eastern southern sheltered side of the island. where the land slopes to the sea, unlike the cliffs on the Kenmare Bay side to the north.

InisfernardInisfernard Island

The above shows the channels that divide the island into three, looking across to the Miskish Mountains across Coulagh Bay

Western IsleInisfernard Island on the Beara peninsula

This view is from just out from Kilcatherine Point showing the island stretching out into the Atlantic Ocean. with not much after before you get to North America

InisfernardInisfernard Island

This was the shot I flew out there for, showing the whole length of the island. complete with amazing surf. On the left you can see Kilcatherine Point and across Coulagh Bay to Eyeries village and Miskish Mountain

The risk of course is the drone might crash into the sea, and be a right off. But the reward is a shot like this with the 20 mega pixel camera

Turf CartPatrick bringing home a load of turf from the bog with the help of his faithful horse Daisy

The Turf Cart

Usually when I paint a pre-conceived idea it doesn't really work. I had this image of a horse and cart bringing home the turf. The trouble with ideas I don't see every part of the scene and as in the above oil I added in the stream on the left to fill up that area. It proved a disaster. I wasn't happy. It cut off a section of the painting which didn't have much on it, basically making two paintings. As well as this I wasn't happy with the horse. It just didn't look right, resembling a creature from the time before humans came on the Earth, I had to do something, so started by touching up on parts of the painting, which never works. I had to paint over most of it and basically start again. The paintings I develop on the canvas always work much better to those I paint from ideas.

So I painted the one below which I am now calling The Turf Cart #2

The Turf CartSeamus bringing the turf home from the bog with his horse Dolly